The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is convening a three-day special symposium focusing on the need for Asia-Pacific governments and stakeholders to transform the region’s agrifood systems to ensure enough, affordable, nutritious, safe and sustainably produced food for all to counter hunger, poverty and inequality. In this context, this side event will provide an opportunity to discuss how Indigenous Peoples’ food systems can contribute to that important goal, leaving no one behind.

Recognizing that Indigenous Peoples’ food systems are game-changers for sustainability and agrifood systems transformation, this side event, organized by FAO Indigenous Peoples Unit and the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, aims to raise awareness about Indigenous Peoples’ food systems demonstrating how lessons learned from such systems can contribute to ensuring enough, affordable, nutritious, safe and sustainably produced food for all. The event will generate an increased awareness among participants about Indigenous Peoples' key role in contributing to biodiversity conservation; and how Indigenous Peoples' traditional knowledge and sustainable practices can play a pivotal role in shaping inclusive and efficient agrifood systems.

Asia and the Pacific are home to the largest number of Indigenous Peoples in the world. More than 70% of the world's 476 million Indigenous Peoples live in this region. This side event will discuss the key role of Indigenous Peoples in nurturing Mother Earth and preserving biodiversity, with a special focus on Asia and the Pacific.

Watch the event:

🔴 #LiveNow Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems - Nurturing Mother Earth and preserving biodiversity

A hybrid #APSAST @FAOAsiaPacific event with @pmchaudhary13, @stefanosfotiou, @MaiThinYuMon, Edmond Dounias, Mardha Tillah & more! #WeAreIndigenoushttps://t.co/lm1ZaXOvLi

— FAO Indigenous Peoples (@FAOIndigenous) October 7, 2022

7 October 2022, 13:30 GMT+7 (Bangkok time) / 8:30 CEST (Rome time)

Agenda

Opening remarks

Stefanos Fotiou, Director, UN Food Systems coordination Hub

Phoolman Chaudhary, Member of the UNPFII on Indigenous Peoples’ food systems and Asia representative in the Coalition on Indigenous Peoples’ food systems

Panel 

Post-UN Food systems Summit: the role of indigenous peoples' food systems in the sustainable transformation of agrifood systems: Yon Fernández de Larrinoa, Head of Indigenous Peoples Unit, FAO

The Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ food systems: cogeneration of knowledge to inform the agrifood systems transformation: Edmond Dounias, IRD representative in Vietnam

Indigenous Peoples' food systems: game changers for sustainability and climate action: Mardha Tillah, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Expert. Indonesian Institute for Forest & Environment.

Indigenous Peoples’ food systems in Asia: sustainable, resilient and based on diverse foods: Hayu Dyah Patria, Founder Mantasa

Indigenous Youth and the future of Indigenous Peoples’ food systems in Asia: Mai Thin Yu Mon, Chin people, Co-Chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus

Closing remarks

Yon Fernández de Larrinoa

Head of Indigenous Peoples Unit, FAO

Moderator

Marianna Bicchieri,  Land Tenure Officer (Social Inclusion, Gender and Indigenous Peoples), FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Background

Asia and the Pacific are home to the world's largest number of Indigenous Peoples. More than 70% of the world's 476 million Indigenous Peoples live in this region. Over 387 million Indigenous Peoples live in middle–income countries. While worldwide more and more Indigenous Peoples are migrating to cities, in Asia and the Pacific 72 percent live in rural areas.

Indigenous Peoples are gatekeepers of cultural diversity, speaking 4 000 out of the 7 000 languages in the world[1]. Nowadays, Indigenous Peoples are the recognized custodians of 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity, and their territories often coincide with the world's biodiversity priority areas[2]. 

In 2021, the Scientific Group of the UN Food Systems Summit recognized that Indigenous Peoples’ food systems are game- changers for sustainability and agrifood systems transformation. 

Indigenous Peoples’ food systems are rooted in their traditional knowledge and customary systems, allowing them to ensure continuity of their existence and well-being, sometimes in the face of major environmental changes. Indigenous peoples and pastoralists depend on collective rights to their ancestral lands and natural resources and their unique territorial management systems for their livelihoods and food security.

Despite having prevailed for thousands of years, Indigenous Peoples’ food systems are now among the most affected by climate change, extractive industries, intensive livestock, agriculture production, displacement, resettlement, and land-use changes. Available data show that food insecurity affects Indigenous Peoples and pastoralists, many already among the 821 million food-insecure people, at a disproportionally high rate[3].

In 2021, within the framework of the UN Food Systems Summit, the Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems drafted the collective White/Wiphala paper on Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems to inform the global debate on the uniqueness of Indigenous Peoples' food systems. As an outcome of the UN Food Systems Summit, Member States and Indigenous Peoples from different regions of the world established a Coalition on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems.

This Coalition will be launched in October 2022, opening a timely opportunity to forge interconnected actions and commitments to implement collective and more coherent actions to deliver improved food systems outcomes that accelerate progress in achieving the full range of SDGs.